Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Planning Board · Amherst, NH · November 20, 2024.
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off-agenda sign ordinance discussion as transparency failure
Amherst Planning Board discussed changes to temporary sign rules—including 4x4 ft signs up to 15 ft high and political signs on Huntington Common—on Nov 20. The topic was not on the public agenda. Residents had no notice. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/planning-board/2024-11-20/ #MeetingWatch #AmherstNH
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off-agenda special meeting scheduling
Board scheduled a special Jan 8 public hearing on zoning amendments (driveways, home occupations, stormwater) during the Nov 20 meeting. That scheduling step itself was not listed on the published agenda. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/planning-board/2024-11-20/ #MeetingWatch #AmherstNH
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agenda mismatch on Jacobson cases
Agenda for Nov 20 listed final approval and CUP decisions for two Jacobson subdivisions. Board only made regional impact findings on Mount Vernon schools and Milford traffic. No approvals occurred. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/planning-board/2024-11-20/ #MeetingWatch #AmherstNH
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Amherst Planning Board took up temporary sign ordinance changes on Nov 20 that were never posted on the public agenda. Discussion covered size limits (4x4 ft signs to 15 ft high), flags, and allowing political signs on Huntington Common to match... #MeetingWatch #AmherstNH
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a speaker asked why the town would permit a 16-foot square temporary sign. The board reached consensus to post the changes for a Jan 8 hearing. Because the item was off-agenda, residents could not prepare comments or attend specifically for it.
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This is a transparency failure. When rules affecting political speech and town property use are revised without prior notice, the public loses the ability to weigh in before decisions advance. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/planning-board/2024-11-20/
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Longer-form draft.
At its November 20 meeting, the Amherst Planning Board discussed updates to temporary sign rules—including size limits allowing 4x4 ft signs up to 15 ft high, flags, and political signs on town property such as Huntington Common—even though the topic was not listed on the published agenda. The board reached consensus to post the changes for a public hearing on January 8 at 6 pm. Separately, the agenda had listed final subdivision approvals and conditional use permits for the two Jacobson cases, yet the board only determined regional impacts on Mount Vernon schools and Milford traffic. No approvals were recorded. When items of this type are handled without advance public notice, residents lose the opportunity to review materials or prepare testimony before the board acts. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/planning-board/2024-11-20/ #MeetingWatch #AmherstNH